Food cooking system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating cookers using steam and microwaves do not effectively allow for the simultaneous heating and cooking of food with its accommodating body, leading to inefficiencies and hygiene issues, as they require separate operations for cooking and serving, and may result in uneven heating and drying of food.
Innovation Solution
A food cooking system that includes a single-serving food package with a steam supplier and microwave supplier, where the accommodating body is designed to take in steam and microwaves, allowing for simultaneous heating and cooking of food with its packaging, using steam at 85-130°C and microwaves with 500-3000W output for 15-180 seconds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If microwave heating is used to cook food, then cooking time is reduced, but heating uniformity deteriorates and food drying occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines steam heating and microwave heating into a single cooking system. The steam heater generates steam that permeates the packaging container to heat food uniformly, while the microwave heater provides rapid heating. By merging these two heating methods, the system achieves both fast cooking time and uniform heating without food drying.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging container serves as an intermediary that allows steam to penetrate through its walls to reach the food. The container is designed with steam-permeable properties, enabling steam to act as a mediator between the steam heater and the food, ensuring uniform heat distribution while the microwave provides rapid energy input.
2Productivity
If separate containers are used for cooking and serving, then cooking function is improved, but operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging container is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both the cooking vessel during the heating process and the serving container after cooking. The container maintains its structural integrity and food safety properties throughout both stages, eliminating the need for separate cooking and serving containers and reducing handling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the cooking container and serving container into a single integrated packaging container. This container is designed to withstand the cooking process while maintaining food safety and presentation qualities, thereby combining two previously separate functions into one component and simplifying user operations.
3Productivity
If food is handled multiple times during cooking and serving, then cooking process is completed, but hygiene quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging container is pre-designed and pre-sterilized to maintain food safety throughout the entire process from cooking to serving. The container's structure and material are selected to prevent contamination during handling, and the cooking process is designed to be completed within the sealed container, minimizing exposure to contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging container is designed as a single-use, disposable item that is discarded after one use. This eliminates the need for cleaning and potential cross-contamination from repeated use, ensuring high hygiene quality. The container is engineered to maintain food safety for the duration of its single use cycle from cooking through serving.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system enables efficient and hygienic cooking of frozen food without manual handling, preventing uneven heating and drying, and allows for high-quality, ready-to-eat food that maintains its original taste, texture, and appearance.
Implementation Method 1
steam heating, food is heated with steam generated by boiling water
Implementation Method 2
heating food with steam generated by boiling water
Implementation Method 3
microwave cooking function of performing high-frequency heating of food by irradiating the food with microwaves
Implementation Method 4
high-frequency heating of food by irradiating the food with microwaves
Data Source
AI summary
A food cooking system (1A) of the present invention includes: a single-serving food package (19) including food (F) and an accommodating body (10) that accommodates the food (F); a heating chamber (2); a steam supplier (3); and a microwave supplier (4); and heats and cooks the food (F) in the single-serving food package (19) with steam and microwaves. The accommodating body (10) has a wall portion that defines an accommodating space for the food (F). The wall portion includes a bottom surface portion (11) on which the food (F) is placed and a peripheral surface portion (12), and vent holes (15) for steam to pass through are formed in the wall portion. Steam at a temperature of 85 to 130° C. is supplied into the heating chamber (2) by the steam supplier (3), and microwaves with an actual output of 500 to 3000 W are supplied for 15 to 180 seconds by the microwave supplier (4) while the steam is supplied into the accommodating body (10) via the vent holes (15).